Conquest
by Varyssa
Summary: Kain sat back into his throne. Though he had sat here many times in the past, he finally felt like the emperor he was. The kingdom was finally his. or is it? OR IS IT! OnimushaLOK crossover. Chap 9, 10 and epilogue up! COMPLETE AT LAST! Plz review x
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer – I do not own anything from Onimusha or LOK…if only…

Prologue

Another explosion. The castle walls shook sending more rubble and stone to the ground. Nobunaga held one arm up above his head to shelter himself from the falling pebbles. He continued to sweep through the castle, hoping the castle would hold together long enough for him to reach the basement.

Around him dozens of demons were flooding in the same direction, heading towards the lower castle floors. The castle was under attack. The samurais led by Samonosuke Akechi were pushing forward and the castle wouldn't be able to hold much longer. Nobunaga was surprised it had lasted this long.

The samurais had secured the outside of the castle. Any demons who were foolish enough to try and escape were cut down immediately. In theory there was nothing the demons could do but wait inside for the samurais to blast their way and end it all. In theory.

The samurais hadn't accounted for Guildenstern's invention. Supposedly it could travel through time, but it was still in the experimental procedures. However, with little options left and knowing the demons would not survive a head on assault from the coming armies, Nobunaga had ordered their best chance of survival was to leave the castle through the machine.

Entering the basement, Nobunaga could see hoards of demons streaming into the blinding light of the machine. Guildenstern was beside the control panel and from the grin on his face it appeared to be working. Nobunaga stood beside him, "Well?" he asked, "Is it working?"

Guildenstern gave a small shrug, "I don't know where they're going…but they're going somewhere."

Nobunaga frowned, hardly the answer he was expecting, or wanting. But an another explosion confirmed, he had no choice.

TBC

Lame prologue I know, but…hey it should get better. Plz review x


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer – I do not own anything of Onimusha or LOK, Mioko, Meg, Azrael and Raziel's lieutenants are mine x

R/R – Tom – Thank you, they're probably two of my favs as well x

Piers – Yay! It's so nice of you to review even though you don't know Onimusha. It is greatly appreciated x

Gryps incendio – Yes Kain, you are going to suffer a ninja attack…and when you least expected it mwah ha ha…and WHERE you least expect it!...mental note stop dropping plot hints. x

Lecter – Once this ban expires I will be updating quite frequently. Thank you for your review! And welcome x

A/N – This story holds no chronological accuracy with any of my other stories, so Mioko is still a child even though she should be approaching sixty. Also, in terms of Onimusha I've set it at the end of the first game so Gogandantess can appear later. Happy days, please review x

Chapter 2

Kain and the brethren closed together to form an almost tight circle in the centre of the throne room. They stood almost shoulder to shoulder, the gaze of every vampire in the hall upon them as they stood as silent spectators. The music had stopped when Kain had risen from the throne and the brethren, instinctively knowing what this meant joined him as he stepped into the centre of the room.

All eyes were upon Kain as he raised his glass goblet, filled with the finest blood high into the air. His voice rang clearly through the hall, "To the empire," he proclaimed his toast. The brethren raised their glasses and repeated the line followed by a mass of applause and cheering from the vampire filled hall.

The atmosphere that followed was truly spectacular. The very air around them was ecstatic. The closest within the brethren embraced warmly, congratulating each other on tasks well done, battles well fought. Raziel and Dumah were engaged in a hearty discussion about which of them performed more commendable in the wars. Turel and Zephon were congratulating each other's spy units, for without them, the vampires would not have had the upper hand in many of the past battles. Melchiah was praising his kin who had attended the celebration, while Rahab moved along the crowds, joining in random conversation and accepting compliments where they were due. Kain, however had retreated to his throne and even though he had sat in it many times before, only now did he truly feel like he the Emperor of Nosgoth. The satisfaction of sitting upon the throne, surrounded by his loyal and devoted subjects, without a care in the world, was enough even to make the mighty Kain smile in public.

And he had every right to smile. The empire was finally secure. After over a century of fighting the humans had been subdued, either by diplomacy or by force…the majority by the latter. But some had accepted vampiric dominion almost as soon as it was imposed, which had proved to be most useful. Many of the defeated cities had been destroyed by weapons forged in human cities, the vampires had fed on small sacrifices sent by those towns, they had surrendered, knowing that it would be in their future interests to do so. The last of the human rebels had been destroyed leaving vampires free to claim the world for their own, which of course they were only too happy to do. All threats had been eliminated leaving Kain the undisputed king of Nosgoth, now all he had to do was rule it.

The thought that he was finally secure was immensely satisfying and Kain could only feel relief as he nestled himself against the throne. It wasn't especially comfortable, it had been designed to signify absolute power, making it hard and sometimes painful to sit upon, but Kain wouldn't have traded it for the world.

"Comfy?" a voice asked, from his left. Kain looked across to see his daughter Megara join him, "You should be," she assured him without waiting for a reply, "You're going to be spending a lot of time there now. You do realise that the next few weeks are going to be filled with vampires and humans alike seeking an audience with you just to congratulate you."

Kain rolled his eyes, "And so it begins," he groaned.

Meg laughed, "You'll love it," she said. She moved to the front of the throne and knelt before her sire, "Lord Kain," she addressed him, formally, "As your first born, may I be the first to congratulate you on the establishment of your empire…at last," the relief sounded in her voice, the fighting that had finally ended had been a welcome reprieve to many of the warriors within the empire.

Kain nodded as Meg rose again and kissed her sire on the cheek, "Excuse me." She bowed herself away and went to dance with her favourite brother, Raziel. Rahab was the next to offer his humble congratulations, only to be cut short as Dumah, unable to find a female dance partner, decided he may as well follow Meg's example and dance with one of his brothers. Rahab, always good for a laugh, proved to be an obvious choice.

Kain joined in the laughter as the amused gathering watched the two brothers danced, standing out against the background of male/female dancers. It wasn't long, though before Kain was interrupted by another well wisher. This one was most welcome.

Little Mioko, Raziel's human daughter scrambled up onto the throne without notification or any sense of propriety and sat on Kain's lap. "Hello Uncie Kain," she said, happily as if they had encountered each other purely by chance.

"Hello my dear," he said, quite glad of her company. "What brings you up here?"

"Is Uncie Dumah dancing with Uncie Rahab?" she asked, suddenly distracted. Kain looked up to see the two brothers now dancing quite vigorously with each other,

"Yes dear, yes they are…for some reason."

Mioko shrugged, "Adults do strange things," then she turned back to the overlord and smiled, throwing her arms around his neck and making herself comfortable lying across him, "Uncie Kain?" she asked, in her philosophical tone of voice, "Why is everyone so happy, is it because the humans aren't going to fight us anymore?"

"That's right," Kain replied, almost laughing at how he must look; the overlord of all Nosgoth with a seven year old child stretched across his lap, twirling a lock of his hair in her fingers.

"So does that mean daddy isn't going off to war anymore?" she asked, normally she would have sounded hopeful at the thought of her father actually being able to play with her without one of Kain's messengers deploying him to the other side of Nosgoth to a battle he may not live through, but this time she sounded, slightly crestfallen. Kain nodded and she sighed, "Does that mean you're not going to baby-sit me anymore?"

"Mioko," Kain announced, realising where the child was going, "You can come here whenever you want. You can stay here whenever you want for as long as you want and if I don't hear from you at least once a month you can guarantee that I will be coming to find out why, and Meg will probably insist on coming too," he added as an after thought. Mioko squealed and jumped up,

"I won't write at all then!" she cried, happily before running off to her father.

Kain laughed as he watched her go, she didn't stay with Raziel long, though. Dumah saw her and decided that it would look less conspicuous if he was dancing with her rather than Rahab. When Dumah took Mioko to the floor, Raziel retreated to join his sire. He bowed at his feet and took his place at the right side of the throne.

"Congratulations, my lord," Raziel said, over the sound of the music, "Your efforts have finally paid off."

"_Our_ efforts," Kain corrected him, immediately, "I will not forget the struggle you and your brothers presented…you especially." He saw what looked like a blush flush the cheeks of his firstborn, "You lived up to your role as first born and surpassed it," Kain told him, "You did my bidding without a moment's hesitation even when it took you away from your own business," his eyes rested on Mioko for a moment, "and I am grateful." Raziel bowed and accepted his master's praise.

There was something not quite right, though. Raziel could sense it and it was clear that after Kain had commended his firstborn he could sense it as well. They both looked up, a vampire had entered the hall. Not one of the celebrators, that much was clear. He was a messenger, one of Raziel's no less, his clothes were far from grand as was expected for this celebration, in fact they looked weathered and he looked exhausted. He was looking up at his master as if he had been willing him to make eye contact for some time. He had gone unnoticed within the hall despite being barely concealed within the shadows of the corner of the hall.

Raziel moved towards him, as soon as Kain gave the signal. The messenger bowed to his master, apologetically and handed Raziel a small scrap of paper, some kind of report hastily scrawled upon it.

Raziel's eyes skimmed over the writing and what colour was left in his already pale skin vanished already. This couldn't be right, he thought furiously, a new threat and on the very day the last human threat had fallen. He dismissed the messenger and inconspicuously moved back to his master, showing him the report. Kain read it, but didn't seem to take it as seriously as his son had. Folding the paper and putting it aside neatly he looked around at the carefree vampires around them, blissfully ignorant of the events that had transpired while they had been celebrating their own security.

Kain looked up at Raziel, "It will wait until the morning."

TBC


	3. Chapter 3

Shadow Hawk – will do x

Raven – Play Onimusha 2! It's the best one of the lot! x

Tom – Sorry for keeping you waiting x

Rose – Glad to see my review annoyed you enough that you felt you had to throw it back at me ha! x

Darth – yay! x

Julia – Creative licence, they now had a time machine in secret at the end of Onimusha and if that don't work…creative licence people! x

Rahab the Fish – Creative licence! x

xXx – Thanks! x

Chapter 3

Kain sat in his room. He read and re read the report that Raziel had brought him. An entire village had been razed. By whom they didn't know but one of the human towns had been burned to the ground, no survivors left and stranger still, many of the bodies had vanished.

"So this is where you got to?" Meg strutted into the room and threw herself down on the sofa opposite Kain, "You never were one for celebrations." Kain didn't answer, watching as Meg kicked off her boots, "What?" she asked, "What's the matter?"

"One of the human villages has been utterly destroyed," Kain replied, passing her the report. Meg lay back on the sofa and read the paper. Kain reclined on the sofa, watching her expression change drastically.

"Typical," she muttered, "Bloody typical. The day we actually secure the empire and eliminate the last of the human threats, this goes and happens."

Throwing the paper to the table, Meg rose and started putting her boots back on. "What are you doing?" Kain asked. Meg brushed her hair back behind her ear, looking up at her sire,

"I'm going to scout," she said. Kain shook his head, but she stared him down, defiantly, "Don't look at me like that. You know that I am one of the fastest riders in Nosgoth. Besides if anything happens then I'll just teleport out."

"You can only teleport short distances," Kain pointed out as soon as the words were out of her mouth. Meg smiled at his over protectiveness,

"I'll only need to teleport far enough to get away from whatever did this and then I can ride the rest of the way. Besides Nosgoth is under your control, I'd hardly be hard pushed to find somewhere to recover if something happens."

Kain opened his mouth to protest but realised that she was right. She saw that she had won and laughed, "I won't be long," she assured him, "and I won't stick around if there's trouble."

Kain rose and lifted one of the swords that hung on his wall, he held it out to her, "Take this," he said. She took the sword and sheathed it on her back,

"Anything else?" she asked, she checked herself, making sure her daggers and her sword were secure. "Nope, right," she kissed Kain on the cheek, "I'll be back before you can miss me."

Kain watched her leave and then went straight to the window so he could watch her ride off out of the sanctuary. She was oddly excited about this but she was normally overly excited after a celebration and on a night such as this she had every reason to be happy.

The overlord kept his eyes on the gate beyond his window waiting for his daughter to ride out. There was a knock at the door and he sensed Raziel enter. The firstborn son went to the window beside his sire and looked out with him. Together they watched Meg ride into the fast approaching sunrise.

"How did she take it?" Raziel asked, curiously. Kain shrugged,

"Megara is just…Megara," he replied. Raziel nodded in agreement, his sister was indeed one of a kind.

"I have summoned council for tomorrow, my lord," Raziel informed him, "My brothers and the firstborns will be present." Kain nodded his approval but said nothing. There was nothing to say. Raziel began to feel uncomfortable but ignored it, turning to his sire and bowing himself out, leaving his master to his thoughts.

Meg didn't reach the outskirts of Razielim until well into the day. It had been a pleasant day for riding, the clouds from the Turelim furnaces blanketed the sky and suppressed the heat leaving the climate cool yet not cold neither was it too hot. Deciding that she would have better luck proceeding to the ruined city by foot, she resolved to leave her horse in one of the bastions that overlooked the northern part of Raziel's vast territory.

"Who goes there!" came a shout from the watch tower. Meg had to stand back from the wall to look up and see to whom it was she spoke,

"Megara!" she called back, "I'm on my way to Durnacht!"

There was a silence but her vampiric ears could hear the watchman speak to another present in the tower. They muttered between each other for far longer than polite protocol allowed but eventually they replied, "Durnacht has been destroyed."

Meg rolled her eyes, "I know! That's why I'm going, now in the name of Kain…" she didn't have a chance to finish her sentence. Another vampire had entered the tower, his strong voice rang out among them all,

"Open the gate!" he commanded, though his voice hinted with some impatience to the incompetence of the watch. Meg smiled to herself and rode through the now open gate to be greeted with one of Raziel's first sons Maret.

He was flanked with other Razielim officials, all of whom bowed to her as she passed them, slowing her horse to barely more than a slow trot.

"My lady, Megara," Maret announced, bowing before her, "Forgive us for keeping you waiting." Meg swung herself off her horse and dropped down beside them, waving a hand dismissively. "You are going to Durnacht, correct?" She nodded her reply. Maret dismissed the other Razielim who again bowed themselves from her presence and walked alongside her as she led her horse into the hold.

"I wish to leave Seska here," she gestured to her horse, "I'd probably have a better chance of going unnoticed if I went by foot." Maret looked concerned but not surprised at her suggestion and altered their path slightly so they headed towards the stables.

"Durnacht is quite a distance from here, it's about two maybe three hours walk," Maret informed her, leading her into the stables. Meg shrugged,

"I'll be alright," she took Seska into the stable and let her loose to wander with the other horses and finally eat some well deserved food after their long journey.

"Would you like someone to go with you my lady?" Maret offered, but Meg held her hand up before he could continue,

"You know me better than that," she laughed, "besides it's always strategically correct to scout alone." Maret nodded and followed her out of the stables,

"If I do not return by night fall you will send a message to Kain?" she asked, but she already knew the answer.

"Of course," they reached the bastion's gate, where Maret suddenly became uncomfortable, "Uh my lady?" he called as she stepped out into the outskirts. Meg looked back, "Is it…is it true about yourself and Azrael?"

Meg laughed, expecting his sudden call to be something important, "Yes Maret, it's true."

"Oh," the red haired vampire looked slightly disappointed, "I'm sorry my lady…you were so happy together."

Meg nodded, "We _were _happy together," she told him, placing the faintest possible stress on the word 'were'.

"Good luck my lady," Maret bowed, watching the vampire move with unnatural speed across the landscape toward the ruined town.

Back at the sanctuary, the brethren and their firstborn sons were waiting in Kain's conference room awaiting the arrival of the overlord and Raziel. It was not Kain's custom to keep people waiting, usually it was he who had to wait for the others to arrive. The mere tardiness of their master was enough to concern the gathering and they knew that this was not going to be a follow up meeting regarding the dominion of Nosgoth.

The council were muttering among themselves, trying to imagine why Kain was late and what the meeting concerned. They didn't have to wait long as Kain swept into the room, with Raziel following faithfully behind him.

Kain took his place at the head of the table which had a full map of Nosgoth displayed upon it. He gestured for the council to move closer and they all took their respective places around the picture.

"This is the Razielim city of Durnacht," Kain announced, pointing to the small town that stood far north to Raziel's most northern watch tower. Zephon narrowed his eyes, it was common knowledge that Zephon always disputed Raziel's claim to that particular city. If it were even the smallest bit further north Kain would have ruled it in Zephon's favour and the city would be his.

"Durnacht was attacked last night," a few eyes flickered towards Zephon, though he seemed as shocked as the rest of the vampires, "all the humans settled there were killed and from what we know the majority of the city was razed."

Kain allowed the implications of this to settle before he continued, "We have sent a scout to gather more information, but for the moment you are all to put extra patrols on every human city until we know what we are dealing with. These three towns here," he pointed to the three human plots that were closest to Durnacht, "are to double their guard effective immediately, I shall summon council when I learn more from the scouts. Dismissed."

Without waiting for the others, Kain was the first to leave, again followed by a dutiful Raziel. The council were too stunned to move. The attack was one thing, but Kain's behaviour was quite another. He swept in and out of council disclosing only the slightest information. Usually Kain would spend hours in council discussing strategies, possible outcomes, in an event such as this he would have gone through every cities defence structure and found a way to improve it. The vampires looked among themselves when Dumah spoke,

"The lord has commanded we increase patrols," he paused and looked at his brothers, "We should see to it immediately." His brothers nodded in unison and slowly they dispersed from the room.

"Where is Meg?" Kain asked, returning to his chamber window so he could overlook the gates and search for any sign of his daughter. "She should have reported in by now."

"Maret is the commander of the northern watch, I will contact him immediately and ask what he knows," Raziel replied, even though Kain's words were more thoughts to himself rather than voiced concerns. Kain nodded without looking back at his son and waved his hand to indicate he approved. Raziel bowed, though it went unnoticed and proceeded to find his firstborn so they may make contact with the commander.

Unbeknownst to the rest of Nosgoth, Megara had only just reached the city though she had smelled the flames burning for miles away. By the time she had reached it the majority of the buildings had been reduced to smouldering ash with the rest still burning though not fiercely.

She moved through the towns streets, making sure she didn't disturb anything and taking extra care not to stand on anything which could give her position away. As she moved through the city, she realised that the destruction was less, more buildings had survived, some of them untouched by the flames or the carnage that had destroyed the rest of the town. Some of the finer buildings still stood, though there was something different about them, even if she couldn't quite figure it out.

There was a quiet stillness about the town which disturbed her slightly and then she realised what was bothering her. Despite all the chaos and destruction there wasn't a single body. It was as if the humans had vanished when the chaos set in without a trace.

She was slipping round a corner when she heard something move behind her, something had stepped on a piece of wood, the sound echoing through the stillness. In an instant she had turned, the sword drawn from her back as she faced her pursuer. She looked around until she saw them…them! There was more than one and all of them were glaring at her. Meg backed off slightly, but held her sword firmly, determined to fight them if need be, "What the hell are you?" she breathed, but never received an answer as the one of them lunged at her.

TBC


	4. Chapter 4

Ah so many reviews…now how may of them are actually about the story and how many of you just want to have a go at Rose…oh well, I'm in too good a mood to care r/r,

Darth – hey didn't you already say that oh well thanks! x

Rose - …it's like your speaking another language…I think you're trying to say something but you're not making sense, it wasn't me who blocked you and I'm not hiding behind the reviewers just because I'm not reviewing just to have a go at you…just because I'm a sad individual doesn't mean I'm going to review my own story, I'll just write it instead.

Shadow Hawk – you put a lot of thought into that didn't you…answer neither swordsman. It's going to be demons vs vampires, Nobunaga vs Kain round 1 begin! x

Captain Kain – Enough already! x

Cordy – Thank you my beloved Cordy! Lol, you put me in such a good mood for the rest of the day! x

Marshmallow – Yes they broke up but with reason…well only coz I needed them to x

Chapter 4

Kain almost flung the door off it's hinges when he heard Raziel's footsteps coming up the corridor, he had passed all thoughts of mild concern and was now bordering on near panic and although he would not let any other vampire in Nosgoth see him like this, Raziel knew how frantic the master could get when Meg was involved.

"Well?" Kain snapped, as soon as Raziel had stepped over the threshold. Raziel hesitated but spoke nonetheless,

"She arrived at the northern bastion and left her horse there to continue on foot. Maret had orders to alert us if she had not reported anything by nightfall."

"And?" Kain snapped again, getting impatient, but from the look on his firstborn's son he knew it wasn't going to be good news.

"And…she didn't report in and she's not answering the whisper."

Kain inhaled deeply and went to the window, contemplating the next move. "Raziel," he muttered, softly, "Recognisance."

Raziel could not have been more surprised by his master's decision, "But my lord," he said immediately when he realised what actions his master had in mind. But Kain held his hand up, not interested in his son's counsel.

"I want scouts to scour the area; don't feel the need to be discreet. When they report back, I will personally lead an army to find out who dares to dispute my claim to this land."

Raziel nodded reluctantly and swept from the room, Azrael was waiting outside the chamber and found he had to jog to keep up with his sires quickened pace.

"We are to send recognisance," Raziel informed him. Azrael nodded and to Raziel's surprise he volunteered to lead the group who would go to Durnacht. To Azrael's surprise Raziel declined, "No," he said, almost apologetically, "If we are to ride with Kain to a war then I need you by my side." Raziel continued towards his chamber but Azrael had stopped,

"Raziel please!" he called. Raziel froze at the mention of his name, Azrael rarely called him that, it was usually 'my lord' or 'sire' even sometimes 'my friend' but never 'Raziel'. "Let me lead the recognisance, I beg you."

Raziel turned to face his firstborn, "And why is it that you want to do this so badly?" he asked, curiously, but when Azrael turned a distinct shade of red, the answer was apparent, "Oh for the love of…you know you're probably the last person she wants to see right now," Azrael looked back up at his sire but was mildly surprised to see a smile on Raziel's face, "You may go…but I want you back for Kain's march, you are my firstborn after all."

Azrael looked as though he could have hugged his sire, but for obvious reasons declined, instead he made his way, hastily toward the stables. Raziel watched his friend go before retiring to his own chamber to make his own arrangements.

"…My lady?" the voice sounded distant and surreal, as though it was from another place. Meg was vaguely aware of being carried, but even that notion was faint. Everything was clouded and blurred, as though she were floating through colours. Oranges and reds flickered before her though she couldn't distinguish between the two; they merged as one and then parted only to merge again. "My lady?" the voice spoke again, but she couldn't find her voice to reply, in fact it felt as though she didn't have one. "If you can hear me, my lady, I'm going to realign your neck."

There was a loud snap, and Meg knew that the sound was made by her own bones, but she couldn't feel the pain that was no doubt shooting through her body, she was still floating.

After the snap, she felt her head begin to clear and her sight was improving. The oranges and reds that had previously merged together became sharper and she could see it was a fire. She was in a cave, though she knew not where. Although she could see where she was she could barely feel it and her body didn't feel as though it was really anywhere.

"And now I'm going to pop your arm and your leg back into place," another two snaps and she could feel her body again, resting as it was on the cold floor of the cave, though the heat of the fire kept the rest of her comfortably warm.

She blinked a couple of times, trying to regain control of her senses. Her head was spinning and her body was aching, especially around the right shoulder, her left leg was in agony though she knew that with blood her injuries would heal.

"Are you alright, my lady?" the voice asked and she could tell it belonged to a man, though she didn't recognise it. Meg tried to move, to sit up if she could, but she could barely move. The man to whom the voice belonged moved forward, seeing her dilemma and raised her into a sitting position, resting her against the wall of the cave.

She could now see the man who had rescued her and as soon as she realised what he was she tried to reach for her sword, a gesture which he found confusing.

"My lady?" he asked, curiously. She edged away from him; he was sitting opposite her, but quite close considering he had just raised her to the wall. He was not a vampire, he looked almost human but his skin was varying tones of red and silver. Up to his jaw his face was silver with two golden yellow markings above his eyes, though from the jaw down his flesh was a deep red colour. He was dressed in armour and his own sword, glowing near the embers of the fire, no human would dress like he and certainly wouldn't look like him.

"Who are you?" she asked, realising that she couldn't reach her sword. There was also the fact hat he had brought her here, away from those…things that had attacked her and helped her further by doing what he can for her injuries, there was a chance he had no intention of hurting her. She was slightly disconcerted when she noticed a distinct smirk cross the man's face when she asked his identity,

"My name is," he said, grandly, pausing for effect, "Gogandantess, the greatest swordsman of all demons."

He looked back at her, still smiling, though he looked slightly crestfallen when she looked unimpressed. She nodded slowly, acknowledging who he was, "A demon? Are they the ones who attacked me?"

The swordsman rolled his eyes and reluctantly replied, "Yes," he sighed heavily, "Much lower class, demons, I assure you. They haven't got an ounce of intelligence between them and there are millions of them." Meg couldn't help but laugh, interrupting the demon who raised an eyebrow, "What?"

"A fine way to speak of your kind," she chuckled.

"Oh they may be demons, but I refuse to acknowledge those mangy, slobbering things that'd kill anything that moves as my peers. I am a high class demon, not one of _them_."

"So," Meg challenged, "If you are a demon, why did you save me from the other demons?"

Gogandantess shifted back, to give her some space. He picked up his sword and wiped it down, polishing it with his gloved hands. "Because you were unarmed, you are a woman and they were going to kill you, tear you apart and probably eat you there and then, fighting over the scraps of your body."

Meg flinched, "Eat me?" she asked, curiously. Dantess nodded,

"The lower class demons don't care for what they eat," he told her, "They eat anything." Meg was only vaguely aware of what he had said, the lack of blood was getting to her and she was becoming light-headed.

"I have to get back," she said, quietly, "Thank you for your help, but I must return. They'll be wondering where I am and if I don't feed soon…" she broke off, not feeling the need to explain. Using the wall for support she tried to push herself to her feet, only to fall forward to be caught by the demon.

"I'll take you," he told her. She looked up at him, surprised, "you won't make it back on your own, besides the demons have already set up camp in the town they destroyed. You won't make it past them." She would normally have rejected his help, she resented the comment he had made that he had helped her because she was a woman. Nevertheless, he was right and so with a brief nod, she shifted her weight and allowed him to half carry her back to the fire.

"Your name?" he asked, so suddenly that it took her by surprise, "What's your name?" he repeated.

She smiled, "Megara…but everyone calls me Meg."

"Megara," he repeated, "pretty name." He laughed when she blushed at his compliment and he helped her back to the fire.

Azrael's sword made another clean cut and the demon aggressor fell dead at his feet. "What in hell are they?" Maret gasped, examining the dead. It was a creature like none they had ever seen before. They looked almost reptilian but with arms, legs and weapons, they were versed in swordplay, if not very badly and then to add insult to injury, they wore hats, flat straw hats upon their heads.

"I have no idea," Azrael muttered, poking the dead with his sword.

"My lord!" a young vampire came running through the streets, "All scouts report in…we have to leave…now," he panted. Azrael frowned,

"Leave?" he asked, "We will not leave, we came here to find Meg…"

There was a roar that they recognised as the shout from the creatures, looking back up the street that the vampire had just ran through the creatures were swarming towards them by the hundreds, "Ok, maybe we should leave," Azrael said, sheathing his sword and setting off with the rest of the unit.

TBC


	5. Chapter 5

Is the flamewar still on or has it finally been put to rest? Think if it continues I will remove all the responses that aren't related to the story coz I'm just getting sick of them. If you want to carry on arguing can you do it somewhere else and not on my story?

Smoke – (watches Azrael run off into the distance being chased by an army of demons) you know, I think you're right. x

ShadowHawk – Well I was thinking of a cameo for Jubei…but that doesn't make sense for the prologue when Samanosuke is in it so no swordsman. x

Grizz - Thanks x

Lecter – Thank you x

Penny – kind of a contradiction seeing as you didn't actually review either but hey whatever x

Razielim Vampiress – (uber glomps back) Thank you! And you didn't make an ass of yourself…didn't think you did last time either but…whatever anyways thank you for your review! x

My beloved Cordy – (hugs) you always know what to say to cheer me up x

Chapter 5

"Open the gate!"

The gate was already creaking open before Azrael's shout had finished echoing around the bastion. The vampire had slipped through the entrance before the gate had finished opening, followed by the unit he had led to Durnacht. Raziel and Kain had already moved to meet them, only to be greeted by the greatest surprise when they saw that none of them had returned with horses and all of them had obviously been running as they were all panting for breath.

"What happened?" Raziel demanded, almost having to support his firstborn as he tried to regain his breath. Some of the vampires behind them had collapsed, lying on the floor trying to control their breathing, whereas others were holding onto the nearest wall for support.

Azrael looked as though he couldn't quite put the experience into words, "There were…things," he stuttered, "Reptile things…with swords and hats…"

"Hats?" Kain interrupted, looking at the Razielim firstborn, clearly not amused.

"I'm serious!" Azrael protested, "There were reptile things…they fought with swords and wore hats and they are swarming over Durnacht, there's hardly anything left of it, almost everything's been destroyed." Raziel helped his friend sit against the wall after he had recounted what had been seen in the fallen city, while Kain contemplated the implications.

"And Meg?" he prompted when Azrael had said nothing about his daughter. Azrael looked up quickly as if he wanted to say something, but nothing came, instead he shook his head, almost apologetically and let it drop. Raziel and Kain both sighed in unison, but Kain's sigh was the heavier one. He turned to Azrael,

"Would there be any chance a representative could make contact?" he had expected Azrael's response, a quick shake of the head,

"The ones we saw looked as though they have no control over a language," Maret intervened, saving his sire from answering when he was obviously trying to get over the failure of trying to find Meg. "Any representative would be killed immediately." He bit his tongue when he saw Kain and Azrael shoot daggers at him and he had to hold both hands and step back to show he meant nothing by it.

"Prepare a unit," Kain muttered to Raziel, who obediently bowed and moved away to make the appropriate preparations.

"Razielim won't be enough!" Azrael called, "There are too many of them, they would outnumber us easily."

"What do you suggest?" Kain asked, much to the surprise of many of the younger vampires around them, they had heard Kain ask Raziel for advice before but never one short of the brethren.

Azrael thought carefully before making his response, "Ask Dumah to join us with a unit."

"Why Dumah?" Kain inquired, hoping Azrael had put enough thought into his answer to make a convincing reply.

"The Dumahim are strong where the Razielim are fast, they would compliment each other well, that and Dumah has already helped us in the past as we have helped him and our two armies are familiar with each other, they have learned to work well with each other."

Kain nodded, "Raziel, send an envoy to Dumah."

"At once, my lord," Raziel clapped Azrael on the shoulder and smiled at him proudly while he helped him to his feet. He had to half carry the firstborn into the bastion and took him to the feeding chamber to replenish himself.

"You did well," Raziel told him, toying with the idea of feeding from the dashing youth who was chained to the wall. He looked more concerned with the fact that his hair had been messed up than at the fact he was being held here as food for his superiors.

"I didn't find Meg," Azrael mumbled as his fangs drove into the neck of one of the other prisoners. Raziel gave into his ideas and started teasing with the playboy in chains, cutting the man's wrist just enough to let a trickle of blood seep out.

"I meant when you spoke to Kain," Raziel groaned, rolling his eyes, no doubt his firstborn would be wallowing in self pity for a long time yet, maybe even until they reached Durnacht again. He could see Azrael dismiss the notion with a wave of his hand so Raziel went back to his victim, his firstborn obviously not in a talking mood.

"Ow," Meg groaned as she stumbled again. This time Gogandantess wasn't quick enough to catch her and she fell against the rock wall. He was at her side as soon as she fell and helped her back to her feet.

"Are you alright, my lady?" he asked, trying to help her regain her balance, but she sank back down to the floor, one hand massaging her temples as she felt herself becoming more and more light-headed from the lack of blood.

"We must keep moving," the demon told her, trying to lift her back up.

"I need to feed," she said, not for the first time since they had started making their way through the mountain caves trying to find a way that would lead them to a vampire city for Meg to rejoin her people, but that task was proving more and more difficult as she lost her energy with every passing second. "What about you, aren't you hungry?" she asked her companion.

He gave up trying to help her to her feet and sat down beside her. "Very, but I can go days without food."

"I can't go much longer without blood," she muttered in barely more than a whisper. Dantess was looking around the area where they had stopped.

"We'll stay here for a while, we should get some rest."

Meg was in no state to argue even though she was slightly concerned about her preoccupation with blood. It was always the first sign that vampires when they were getting desperate, when all they could think about was their next feed, then of course they realised how hungry they were and it became a never ending cycle of thought until they fed.

Dantess unsheathed his sword and drove it into the ground, so he could sit comfortably. He sat back against the rock wall next to Meg and breathed deeply. Meg looked over at him, he had his eyes closed and was relaxing, where she was trying desperately not to think of the hunger…which of course made her think about the hunger more until it was all she could think about.

She could see the vein in his neck and she was so hungry she could almost hear his blood calling out to her. Meg shook her head trying to shake off the thoughts with it, but it was no use and she knew that while she was this weak and this hungry she wouldn't be able to concentrate on anything else.

Dantess still didn't notice the obvious problem his companion was having. He remained sitting against the wall, not moving as he gathered his strength. His eyes snapped open as he sensed a sudden movement beside him. He looked over at Meg, but she had already moved aside, one hand outstretched to hold his head to one side as she moved her face to his neck with lightening speed and before he even had time to register what she had done her fangs were being driven into the artery in the side of his neck.

TBC

A/N – Is it just me or does the ending just not…flow?


	6. Chapter 6

A/N – I started this chap last month and then went back to it recently so if it doesn't flow I apologise I tried…

Darth – I hope so too x

Smoke – Thank you for the advice, I am actually pleased with this chapter whether that means it's any better I don't know? x

Abbil – (hugs) thank you so very very much! x

Gryps – Thank you too x

Chapter 6

"Wake up, wake up!" Meg's voice broke as she became more and more panicked by the demon's loss of consciousness, "Please wake up, Please, I'm sorry, I am so sorry."

"S'alright," Gogandantess managed to splutter as he lay on his back, sprawled on the cave floor. Meg stopped slapping him lightly on his cheek as he woke from his state. He was still dazed and obviously so, his eyes weren't focusing on anything and they drifted around the cave, completely unable to concentrate.

The vampire was wringing her head in her hands, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry," she kept repeating, having fed forcibly from the man who had saved her life. She hadn't needed to drink much, his blood was so strong and rich she had only received a few mouthfuls before she had felt more replenished than she ever had in her life. The swordsman, however must have been sent into some kind of shock from the force of her feed and how harshly she had driven her fangs into his neck, for he had lost consciousness, if only for a while.

Dantess used Meg's hand to push himself up into a sitting position so he could rest against the wall. He raised a hand to the puncture wounds in his neck, they were still bleeding, but not profusely. Meg saw the problem and looked around them, searching for something she could use for a bandage. There was of course, nothing, they were after all in a cave and all that lay about them were rocks, pebbles and Dantess' sword.

With a frustrated groan Meg took up one of her daggers and used it to cut off the sleeve of her top and managed to use it as a make shift bandage, stopping the flow from his neck. "Thank you," he gasped, his hand pressing the cloth against the wound to aid the healing. "But it won't take long to heal."

Meg was sorting out the shirt she had just torn, but she seemed intrigued by this, "You heal fast?" she asked, as if to show a comparison she used the dagger to cut her hand, but the wound healed immediately. Dantess chuckled,

"Not that fast…but…fast nonetheless, it'll heal by nightfall," he looked up at a crack in the rock ceiling, the light was bright outside, it must have been about midday.

"We should stay here and rest," Meg suggested, repeating what he had said earlier before her short outburst. Dantess shrugged,

"I'd rather get you home as soon as possible, I don't want you to get hungry again," he paused for a moment, "Where's the nearest town?" he asked her.

Meg looked up at the crack in the ceiling as if it would allow her to see exactly where they were in all of Nosgoth, "I don't know," she sighed, "I need to see where we are…but I think the clouds are thinner here so we must be in the far north," she closed her eyes and drew a map on the floor before her, etching the image into bare dust. "This is Durnacht, the city you found me in," she drew a small circle, "we must be about here," she drew a line far north of the circle to represent the caves they were following. She stopped drawing and looked down at the picture, "so if we come out here, we'll be closest to one of Rahab's villages…I think."

"You think?" Dantess asked, somewhat concerned. Meg shot him a sheepish smile and held her hands up to gesture to the cave,

"I can't tell where we are while we're in here," she protested. Dantess sighed, but nodded and he pushed himself up on the wall, sheathing his sword when he had stood.

"What are you doing?" she asked, jumping up to support him as he swayed on the spot, laughing inwardly at the change and how just a few hours ago he had been the one to support her when she had been weary.

"Well we need to get you out so," he tried to push himself away from her to walk alone, but he was soon leaning back against her to walk. He gave up trying to walk independently when she put one arm around his waist, firmly so that she could help him walk,

"When we get to Rahabim, I will not be the only one who will rest," she assured him. He gave a small sigh back while trying to distance himself from the vampire, in an attempt to maintain his independence or as much of it as he could manage to without losing his balance.

In the town of Durnacht Kain's horse slowed to a trot as it made it's way through the deserted streets of the destroyed Razielim city. The hooves of the horses from the army behind him disturbed the settled dust upon the ground and caused it to rise into clouds above them.

Behind him rode Raziel, Azrael and Dumah in one line. Raziel and Dumah for obvious reasons and Azrael because he had the experience of the creatures that had taken residence in the town. Though there was nothing and no one to be seen. Nothing but endless dust and deserted ruins.

"Well?" Dumah asked, his voice echoing off the buildings around them. "Where are they?"

"There's nothing here," another vampire muttered, earning him a glare from the Razielim firstborn. Kain beckoned for Raziel to ride beside him,

"Send a scout to scour the city," he muttered. Raziel nodded and summoned one of his own to his side. The young vampire Jade rode obediently to his master,

"Scour the city," Raziel murmured to him. Jade nodded and spurring his horse into motion he set off to ride lightly among the streets of Durnacht looking for any kind of sign of the demons that had invaded it.

Kain held up one hand and there was a loud stirring as the entire Dumahim and Razielim armies stopped in their tracks behind their master. They waited patiently, some even anticipated to be ambushed and attacked, but nothing came. Silence was the only thing that surrounded them.

They waited for a short while before they heard the sound of horse hooves against the rough ground. Jade had done his search of the city but only confirmed what Kain was expecting,

"There's nothing there, my lord. There's no one here."

Kain nodded, though Raziel could sense the disappointment or relief in his expression. He gestured for the army to turn around and summoned Azrael to his side.

"Take your unit and secure the city," he commanded. Azrael looked around them as if expecting to see the demons laughing and mocking them from the shadows,

"My lord, they were here," he insisted. Kain nodded,

"I believe you. We will return to the northern bastion and plan our next move, I want you and the others to secure the city and ensure we didn't miss anything."

Azrael nodded, "Jade, Maret, Thorne!" he barked, the respective vampires drew their horses back and grouped around their leader, "Secure the city," he ordered, turning his own horse to search the streets. The vampires nodded and joined him in a raid of the ruins as Kain and his two sons led their army out of the town back towards Razielim.

"There is nothing here," Jade assured his sire as they searched the streets together. Azrael nodded,

"I know, but they were here this morning…they must have gone somewhere."

Far from the city of Durnacht, masses of demons were swarming towards the next town. Nobunaga had concerns about the amount of activity from the vampires concerning Durnacht and so had decided to move his followers on. They would raze the next town as they did Durnacht and set up their camp there. He would have the advantage, able to build up his defences as well as his offence while the vampires had to rally themselves to save the new city they would destroy and with their focus on Durnacht it would take much time to realise the new threat.

One of the demon commanders ran to his lord's side, "My lord, there is another town a few miles ahead. They do however have defences but I'm sure we can overcome them. There is also a smaller town to the north of the main city" Nobunaga nodded,

"I will lead to the main city, you may take who you will to the smaller town, we shall use it as a base should we need to," he spurred the horse he had claimed in Durnacht on, closely followed by the mass of demons as they headed to the cities before them.

In the main city of Rahabim, Rahab was reading within the quiet of his great library as he often did with his spare time. It freed him from the stress of being a clan lord and allowed him to escape to other worlds.

He was jolted harshly back to reality when there was a frantic knock on the door. He didn't have time to look up and call for the intruder to enter as a Rahabim messenger flung the door open and threw himself at his master's feet, "My lord, there is…something approaching."

Rahab sighed, heavily and put aside his book, "What do you mean there is something approaching?"

There was a loud bang and the Rahabim palace shook, causing Rahab to look up in alarm, "We're under attack!" came a shout from outside. Rahab caught the messenger by the neck and dragged him out of the library and outside with him onto a balcony where they could see swarms of unknown but clearly hostile creatures swarming through the streets of the city, killing whatever and whoever they found.

"You!" Rahab pulled the messenger to within an inch of his face, "Find Kain and tell him what has happened here." He almost threw the messenger aside, but he quickly regained his balance and shot off into the palace to do his master's bidding, "and you!" Rahab caught hold of another vampire running through the halls in a panic, "You will go to Turel and request his help." The vampire nodded, though he looked terrified at the thought, nevertheless he agreed to the command and like the other vampire, he too rushed off to fulfil his duty.

Rahab retired immediately to his chamber and began to dress in his armour and arm himself appropriately. As he expected his firstborn was soon to arrive in his chamber, already dressed for battle and armed to the teeth. "The men are ready my lord," he announced to the vampire, "They wait at the main gate, the intruders will not push further into the city." Rahab nodded and sheathed his sword, heading immediately to lead his men into battle.

"Talk to me, Circe," Rahab said as his firstborn appeared inexplicably beside him, walking at the same pace as though she had been there the whole time.

Circe adjusted her sword as she replied, "They're not human, they're some sort of creatures, I don't know where they came from…By Kain I don't even know what they are!" Circe pushed open the main door allowing her master to pass her, "They've broken past the outer lines, but they won't breech the inner city."

Rahab stepped out into the city where he could see smoke billowing from beyond the inner walls. Rahabim vampires were crawling along the walls, archers were lined up already firing volleys into the oncoming masses, although whatever it was that was attacking was hidden behind the walls.

The Rahabim army was already in position behind the gates of the inner city, all of them standing in impeccable precision waiting for the attack to come, though the archers seemed to be doing their job well and nothing managed to come close to the outer inner walls.

Rahab walked down the ranks, Circe ever faithfully beside him, she looked over as they reached the walls to find Rahab surveying his army proudly and smiling at her. "Excellent job, Circe, as ever." Circe flushed, her vaguely aquamarine skin turning scarlet as she turned back to the wall and tried, with her master to try and figure out just what it is that was attacking him.

"Light!" Megara shouted, jumping forward. Traversing the caves had finally come to an end and a light had finally appeared at the end of the tunnel. Unfortunately in her haste to leave the somewhat claustrophobic caves she let Dantess go, as he had been leaning against her for support he ended up crashing into the rock wall.

Dantess threw his arm out to hold himself up and he watched the vampire leave the cave. From Megara's breathless comments as they had made their way through the mountains Dantess knew she missed the outdoor air and the sky, but her reaction now was not what he had expected. She had come to an abrupt stop just outside of the door, staring dead ahead as though the world had come to an end while they had been inside and there was nothing left.

Dantess sensing something was very wrong, picked up his sword and managing to force all thoughts of pain and discomfort out of his mind he somehow forced himself to run after her, only to find that her horror stricken face did indeed reflect the situation outside.

It looked as though Meg had been right in that there was a Rahabim village waiting for them on the outside, but there was nothing left of it. The majority of the buildings were on fire just as Durnacht had been and the crocodile demons were swarming everywhere, the scorched bodies of Rahabim vampires were littered about the streets among those who were simply bitten and slashed to death.

"Not again," Dantess groaned as his comrades saw the vampire and moved in to surround them. Meg drew her sword as Dantess did the same,

"Try to stay conscious this time," Dantess called as the demons moved closer, the adrenaline that flowed through his body seemed to have made him forget the fact that he had two swollen bruises on the side of his neck and was still very weak considering he had had his blood drunk from him. Meg stepped forward, holding her sword out between the demons and Dantess,

"This time," she said with a winning smile, "It'll be me protecting you."

TBC


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

The battle continued through the night. The Rahabim sent a small army outside the gates to push the demons back. A few demons had found a way into the castle, but they turned and fled when they realised they were out of their depth and the way they had come was sealed so the mistake could not be repeated.

Morning came and with it the full force of the night before hit the Rahabim. Rahab walked along the city wall looking down on the mass of bodies that lay on the outskirts of the city, demons and Rahabim warriors alike. Granted the demon corpses far outnumbered the Rahabim but still, Rahab knew them all. He had been there at every Rahabim vampire's siring. He had watched them grow into vampires to be proud of, they had devoted their lives to him and now they had sacrificed those lives to protect the city. They should all be brought back into the city and burned so the people could say their farewells, but he knew that it would be impossible to retrieve the bodies without risking losing more to the demons.

"It's quiet," one of the archers said quietly. Rahab stopped beside him and put a hand on his shoulder. The archers had stayed in their positions throughout the night and now remained their bows constantly at the ready as they looked out onto the enemy camp. "There has been no movement since they retreated," the archer informed his commander, "Maybe they're asleep?"

Their eyes met and they both shared a smirk before Rahab continued his morning walk. "My lord!" came Circe's shout. The vampire turned to see his first born running towards him, "My lord, it's Mioko…" Rahab's eyes widened, in the chaos of the battle he had forgotten about Mioko. It seemed almost ironic that Raziel sent Mioko to Rahab to protect her from any battle that may occur in Razielim. Nobody could have foreseen the change in events which put Mioko in the heart of the battle. Rahab smiled, expecting his daughter to tell him Mioko wanted to see him or Mioko wanted breakfast or Mioko had had a bad dream, instead she told him Mioko was missing.

A strange but pleasant smell wafted through the cave. In her sleep Meg inhaled the scent and smiled, opening her eyes she saw Dantess cooking some kind of meat over a fire. He was humming as he did so, completely engrossed in what he was doing, Meg had to nudge him before he realised she had woken up.

"What are you doing?" she asked, nearing the fire to warm herself. Dantess stoked the fire, and replied simply,

"Cooking."

Meg laughed and hugged the demon, "Thank you," she smiled.

Dantess shrugged her off so he could cook the meat to perfection. He turned it over on a makeshift spit, "What is it?" she asked.

"I don't know…I went into the demon camp and picked up some food." Meg looked up at him in surprise,

"Yesterday you killed about a hundred demons,"

"a hundred and twelve," Dantess muttered trivially.

Meg ignored him and continued, "And yet they still accept you into their camp?"

Dantess pulled the meat off the fire and let it cool, "of course. I only killed those demons because they were attacking us. I am still the greatest swordsman of all demons it is no wonder that I can wander freely through the camp. Meg sighed and watched him tear the meat apart with his teeth. She laughed when he offered a piece of meat to her, but she declined politely.

A loud shout came from outside the cave. Both Meg and Dantess froze, but soon realised the shouting was coming from the Rahabim city and not the demons who posed much more of a threat. "The hell?" Meg muttered, springing to her feet and rushing out of the cave. The demon encampment was spread out before her, very few demons seemed to be wandering around, not a single one of them was stopping to look over at the city from which there seemed to be a problem. Dantess appeared beside her, still eating the meat off the stick, looking lazily up at the palace.

"What's the matter with them?" he asked, curiously. Meg screwed her face up in concentration trying to catch glimmers of the whispers that were frantically passing between the Rahabim.

"Someone's missing?" she murmured, still trying to understand what they were saying. Dantess shrugged and continued to eat until Meg raised a hand to her mouth in shock. The demon stopped eating for a moment before he realised that Meg was sinking to her knees, she may even have been crying.

"By Kain, the demons took Mioko, they took Mioko," she sobbed, Dantess dropped down beside her and attempted to console her, though as he didn't have a clue what was going on he had little idea of how to do that. "Mioko," Meg sniffed, wiping her eyes, "She's still so young. The demons have taken her."

Dantess shook his head and wiped her tears for her, "They may not have killed her. I will go to the camp and find her for you."

"I'm coming with you," Meg decided, though she knew that he wouldn't let her.

"No," he said, immediately and she sighed, knowing that it was coming. "You can't. If I walk into the demon camp it is of no consequence, if you go in…well they'll kill you on sight. Now you go back into the cave and I'll go get this young vampire…"

"human," Meg interrupted, walking back to the cave.

"Human then, go."

Dumah and Raziel read and re read the message from the Rahabim envoy. Kain was sitting in the Razielim throne room, his expression unreadable but Raziel knew that he was probably shaking with anger inside. "Dumah," Kain called, quietly, the third born knelt at his sire's feet. "You will take your cavalry to Rahabim immediately. Raziel and I will follow. Move now!" Dumah bowed and started barking orders to his men, leaving the throne room he gave a swift smile to Raziel who knew his younger brother thrived on the battlefield.

"Raziel," Kain motioned for his son to join him, "Send envoys to Turel, Zephon and Melchiah have them all move to Rahabim. Have them come in different directions, the enemy have camped in front of the main gate, we can surround them and destroy them."

Raziel nodded and with a movement of his claw he summoned Azrael and Jade to his side. "Jade, send the envoys, Azrael, rally the men and prepare them for war."

Azrael nodded, and went down to the barracks. The Razielim army was already assembled, waiting in the huge training ground to see if they would be needed or not.

"Razielim!" Azrael shouted and with excellent discipline the entire field went silent to hear him speak. "the creatures have moved against Rahab. We will join with our brothers and defend the empire." There were murmurings of agreement throughout the gathering. Azrael smiled, "The army will gather outside the West Gate by dusk. From there we march!"

The army roared their approval, Azrael's smile grew wider, these little adrenalin rushing speeches were always exhilarating, although that speech was hardly as spurring as those given on the battlefield. The men started filtering through the door to the armoury and Maret joined his sire.

"You'd think they would have tired of fighting by now," Maret muttered, watching his men go with pride, "I promised them peace and now you offer them blood…and yet they take it in their stride." Azrael clapped his son on the shoulder,

"You must have taught them well." Maret laughed and joined his sire as they went to dress themselves for the battle.

Gogandantess slipped through the enemy camp. It wasn't as if he needed to sneak or anything, he just thought it would be easier for him to return to Meg if nobody noticed him, at least anybody of importance who had an ounce of sense. He didn't know why the demons would bother kidnapping a young human, though sometimes they had been known to take random people from battle but nobody could understand the reasoning…especially when they took that baby. Dantess rolled his eyes as he remembered the time the lower demons had taken a baby from her father and then panicked when she started crying and they knew not what to do with her or why she was emitting such a painful cry.

The demons swordsman moved silently passed the tents, wondering just where this human was, if she wasn't dead already. There was little chance she was alive but he knew Meg wouldn't rest until Mioko's death was proven…why was a vampire so emotional about a human anyway? Slightly uncharacteristic of a vampire to love a human, even more so for a human to love a vampire. This Mioko probably lost her family to the vampires, she was probably a slave of something…

"Give me the hat!" a childish cry came out of one of the tents, "Give me the hat or I _will_ stab you! I will!"

Dantess stopped and looked back at the tent. Lifting the makeshift door open, he peeked in and saw two lower demons with a small child sitting on the floor. She was decked out in what could be considered armour for a child, she bore a Rahabim mark on her outfit and in her hand she had a tiny dagger.

"I want the hat!" she screeched, stamping her foot. Dantess stepped into the tent, both the demons realised who he was and made a feeble attempt to bow to him.

Dantess considered the child for a moment, the demons had done it again. He approached her, wary of the dagger in her hand, even a child could cause damage with one. "Hello little one…"

"I want a hat," she repeated, pointing at the little straw hats atop the demons' heads. Dantess immediately saw a way to calm her and obediently he passed her the hat she wanted. She smiled and put it on, it was far too big for her but she didn't care and she squealed with delight at finally having a hat. Seeing this as a perfect opportunity to rescue the child he lifted her up and with a smile to the demons, who grunted in thanks that he should take the girl away from them, he left the tent and found them a secluded spot.

"What are you doing here little girl?" he asked, curiously, "and why are you dressed like that?"

The girl looked up at him from under the hat, "I was up in the castle and then all these funny things came in and then they saw that they were in the wrong place so they grabbed me and some other people and ran off. I think they killed the others…" she broke off, "but no one can kill me!" Dantess sighed, Mioko was dead then. Meg would be devastated, "I'm the mighty Mioko!" the child laughed, drawing her dagger and pointing it at the demon, "en gad!"

Dantess was massaging his temples when he realised what she had said, "You're Mioko?" he asked. He looked down at her, the tiny girl of about seven human years was Mioko. Dantess laughed, when Meg had said young he had expected a teenager or a young woman….not a child.

Mioko looked up at him and looked almost scared, "How do you know my name?" she asked, warily. Dantess picked her up and hugged her out of relief, "Ah! Ah! Put me down!" she shouted, flailing in his arms trying to get free. Eventually he complied and placed her gently on the ground, "I want to go back to Rahab now, please?"

Dantess picked her up into his arms, "I can't take you to Rahab, but I can take you to see someone else who wants to see you."

Mioko shrugged, "Ok…as long as it isn't Turel…or Zephon…or Azrael…well Azrael wouldn't be so bad…he's ok I guess…but sometimes he can be-" Gogandantess rolled his eyes and picking the child up he carried her to the cave while she jabbered away merrily.

Elsewhere in Nosgoth the brethren had mobilised. Dumah's cavalry unit was fast approaching while the rest of his army followed a few hours behind him. Zephon and Turel were closing in on the East and West, Melchiah would be able to reinforce Zephon coming in from the same direction and Raziel was closing the gap from the North. By daybreak the brothers would have surrounded the demons while Nobunaga slept in his prestigious tent dreaming about the victory he would no doubt achieve with his vast army.

TBC


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Zephon slammed his fist down on the table, "Dumah! We need strategy, the battle must be fought with the mind." He couldn't bear much more of his elder repeatedly telling them that they should just storm the enemy and destroy them. Dumah looked up at his brother and smirked, "Alright you fight with your mind, I'll fight with my sword and we shall see which of us fares best."

There were sniggers around the table, Zephon looked as though he could quite happily jump over the table and tear Dumah's throat out, but of course he never would.

Kain held his hand up, clearly amused at his third son's comment, "Zephon is right, Dumah. We could kill them all swiftly but it is always best to have a strategy." Dumah nodded respectfully, even though Kain had said exactly what Zephon had, it was easier to accept coming from the master. If Kain said it, it must be true.

"Rahab shall draw their attack," Kain decided, pointing to the diagram drawn before him and moving a counter with Rahab's crest on it to the front gate of the Rahabim city. "Turel you shall come in from the east, Zephon from the west and Dumah from the North. Raziel…"

"I want to lead a raiding team through the camp," Raziel spoke up from the side of the table. He was the only one in the room with a chair, as the others stood around the table Raziel sat to the side of his sire, his face buried in his hands shielding himself from the counsel. He looked up at his sire, his face was exhausted, "Let me raid the camp, please," his voice broke, he was practically begging, "If Mioko is still-" he broke off when Kain raised his hand.

"Raziel will take a raiding team…"

"I offer my cavalry, my lord," Dumah bowed to Raziel, "They will serve you well." Kain nodded,

"Raziel will raid the enemy camp, when they have cleared the entire camp, we shall move, Melchiah you will remain as reinforcements. If we encounter any problems you will move, you will cover all possible routes the enemy will use to escape, including the caverns to the North." Melchiah nodded, "We move at first light," Kain commanded and dismissed his men. They all filed out of the counsel room except Raziel who remained in his chair, his face dropped to the floor again rolling in his hands. Dumah looked back and with a sigh moved to comfort his brother.

He knelt beside Raziel and placed a hand on his shoulder, "Raziel, you must sleep," Dumah told him, "You need to rest before the battle."

"How can I sleep?" Raziel rasped, "How can I possibly rest when Mioko is out there with…with them!" Raziel rose to his feet and leant wearily on the counsel table. "She is my daughter…I sent her here to be safe and…I failed her…"

Dumah spun the firstborn round, "Raziel, no one could have foreseen this. You did not fail her and I'm sure wherever Mioko is she's giving them hell."

Raziel laughed despite himself and Dumah shook his shoulder, "Come Raziel, I will introduce you to my cavalry, you have met them before, they will be only to happy to help you find Mioko…I will be only to happy to help you find her." Raziel nodded and accepted his brother's invitation and left with him.

Dantess placed Mioko on the ground and showed her into the cave. The fire was still burning and beside it Meg lay sleeping. "Meg!" Mioko cried happily, running to the vampire and shaking her to wake her up. "Meg, wake up!"

Being shook so violently jolted Meg to the world of the waking and she bolted upright her sword unsheathed, looking for an enemy to strike. She looked down and saw her little niece smiling up at her, she was amazed and clearly amused by Meg's precision with a sword, "Cool!" she gasped.

"Mioko," Meg breathed, dropping her sword and picking the child up into her arms, "You're ok! You're ok!" Mioko's expression didn't change as she was lifted with astonishing speed and the air almost crushed out of her lungs as the vampire smothered her with hugs and kisses.

Dantess dropped down on the other side of the fire and took to polishing his sword, while Meg cradled the child in her arms, looking up at him thanking him repeatedly. He dismissed her thanks and smiled as he watched the reunion between the two.

"I thought you were dead," Mioko said suddenly, placing her hands on her hips and looking up at the vampire. Meg looked vaguely surprised but then realised that she had gone to Durnacht and had yet to return, considering a week had passed and she had had no contact with any vampire, it was no wonder they would think her dead. "Azrael was crying," Mioko told her, slipping into Meg's lap, this surprised Meg more than seeing her niece emerge from the demon camp alive and even more surprising unscathed.

"Azrael…cried?" she asked, uncertainly.

Mioko nodded, "Yup yup. He cried coz he thought you were dead and daddy was trying to cheer him up and it didn't work and he was upset and wouldn't stop crying. Uncie Kain tried to talk to him, he told Azrael that he was being stupid and that you weren't dead and that he was ashamed that the firstborn of his firstborn would think you so weak..."

Meg let out a surpressed laugh and fell backwards onto the floor, her grin reaching from one ear to the next. Dantess laughed, merely bacause Meg was laughing, this led to Mioko laughing and soon the three of them were laughing, before Meg stopped herself out of guilt, she had started laughing at the thought of her lover being reprimanded by Kain for mourning her loss. Normally she would be angered and probably more hurt that Kain had not grieved for her, but it inspired and comforted her that he thought her too strong to be killed by an overwhelming number of demons despite all evidence that she had been killed.

They stopped laughing and Meg moved towards the fire to warm herself while Mioko questioned Dantess on his lack of hat. They sank into a comfortable scene with the warmth of the fire adding a comely glow to the cave. The war outside was forgotten, there was nothing else but this moment of happiness, despite its oddity. A demon, a vampire and a human child sitting around a fire in a cavern, it was as if this was completely normal to them. The fire was reduced to embers by the time Mioko decided she wanted to sleep, she lay down beside Dantess and nestled herself comfortably against him, she was humming to herself, even to the point where she had fallen asleep. Dantess smiled at Meg over the sleeping child, he seemed to be becoming attached to the child, "She's lovely," he said, still smiling. Meg nodded,

"Enough to make you want to have kids of your own huh?"

Dantess laughed, causing Mioko to stir against him, Meg smiled inwardly when she saw that Dantess fell silent when he saw what effect his words had upon the child. He had looked after her, he had risked his life to save a child, he was now quite happy sitting in a cave with two should be prisoners of war...if not the next meal of the demons who seemed to lack a brain call between them, instead of sitting in a tent of the demon camp that his high status would demand. He was far from the demon she had expected judging from those who attacked her. They didn't speak again and they fell asleep, still happy in their blissful reverie.

TBC


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

The air was tense the following morning. Raziel hadn't slept for worry of Mioko, Azrael hadn't slept for worry of Meg, Kain feared for them both but knew better than to voice his concerns. He would keep them to himself, after all at the end of this battle they would know the best or the worst. He didn't know what had happened to them and it was better if he didn't try to think about it. Instead he immersed himself in the preparations for the coming battle. Raziel had tried but he couldn't concentrate on anything but his daughter, not even Azrael had tried to console him, everyone feared the worst but nobody spoke of it.

With the dawn however, came a change. Everyone was prepared and raring for the battle. Zephon, Turel and Dumah had already left to begin their marches. The Rahabim were calmly assembling at the front. Dumah's cavalry unit were almost ready at the gates, waiting to strike from the centre, they were just waiting for Raziel to join them to confirm the strategy.

Azrael and Raziel stood in Rahab's presence chamber which had been given to Kain for his stay. Kain was within and it was customary for the firstborn to come out with him. "I wish…" Azrael began but broke off, he shook his head, "never mind."

"What?" Raziel asked, straight away, hoping for some distraction from the thoughts he barely acknowledged to himself.

Azrael sighed, "I wish things were different," he smirked from admitting the obvious, "I mean if Meg really is…" he trailed off but then managed to voice the thing that no one had dared to mention, "if she is gone…I just wish that she had gone knowing that I loved her."

Raziel nodded mutely, "I just keep thinking about all the things we haven't done yet."

Raising an eyebrow he turned to his sire, "what do you mean?"

"Mioko may never grow up, she may never fall in love," he was careful to keep the word may on every idea, to say that she would never do these things would be too final, he had to keep his hope, "she may never have children herself and she may never join us as a vampire, she's so very young, I just wish she could have her life as she should."

Inside the chamber Kain could hear every word, he too had refused to acknowledge the thought that Meg could be gone. She had been at his side since before the beginning. She had been as constant as the Reaver on his back and just as faithful. He couldn't imagine the empire without her, as much as he had berated Azrael for thinking her gone, now he had to admit the chances of her and Mioko being alive were slim at best. Meg, his only daughter and Mioko, the only child, there would be an void in the empire, they just could not be gone…

Kain donned the armour that he never thought he would wear again and paused to glance at his reflection. 'Meg always does this…she would come in and help me dress, she would mock the enemy and praise my choice of armour "Red goes with your eyes" she would laugh.' He banished these thoughts and turned them to the matter at hand, taking up the Reaver he moved into the presence chamber.

He did not need to talk to Raziel and he never had felt the need to speak to Azrael, now he did not say a word to either of them, they just fell naturally to his side. Raziel at his right hand, walking a step behind his master and Azrael walking on the left side…in Meg's place but walking two more steps behind them just to indicate his status as a son of a son of Kain and not a Lieutenant himself. The natural order of their march was already disturbed.

The men were all ready and waiting. Rahab and Circe were deep in conversation with Circe barking last minute formation corrections, only to have them corrected again and then returned to the original. The men accepted it without a word of complaint, Rahab was meticulous in his planning and every man had to be perfectly positioned before he would even consider sending them into battle. A man brought three horses forward, Kain's was armoured as he was with matching colours and his standard emblazoned on cloths draped either side of the saddle. Raziel and Azrael both bore the proud symbol of Razielim. Kain inspected his horse and made one small change. He tore off one of his symbols, his insignia on red background and replaced it with the same marking on a deep purple cloth, Meg's symbol. "Meg has ridden with me in every battle I have ever faced, this is the least I can do," he said more to Azrael than Raziel. Azrael bowed his head, worthy of words from the overlord himself, but knew that Kain realised that Azrael would miss Meg as much as he; none of the others could grieve her on the same level. Rahab brought his horse to Azrael's side, acknowledging the lesser vampire as Kain's choice to ride beside him. Raziel took the head of the Dumahim cavalry, trying to tell the men what their strategy would be without thinking of the daughter he was looking for. Then there was nothing left to do but wait.

In the cave elsewhere, Dantess, Meg and Mioko were woken by a sound louder than an explosion. "Daddy!" Mioko squealed as soon as she woke up, she would forever call for Raziel whenever she was scared. In an instant Meg and Dantess were on their feet, weapons drawn, their eyes darting around the cave for a sign of attack. Meg lifted Mioko up into her arms and looked up at Dantess,

"What's going on?" she asked. Dantess drew his sword and went to the cave entrance. There was silence while he was gone but soon he came running back.

"We have to leave," he said, "now." He handed Meg's sword to her and lifted Mioko into his own arms, "The vampires are fighting the demons, some of them are retreating, they're coming this way."

"We can't go that way!" Meg called as Dantess started making his way back the way he came. "It took all this time to get this far, they'd be upon us in no time and we can't fight them off here, it's too closed in."

Dantess thought for a moment and moved Mioko so that he could use one arm freely, "Mioko, my darling you must hold onto me tightly and not let go, it'll be difficult but you have to hold on, alright?" he coaxed her, gently. The panic of Dantess and Meg had got to her and she wanted Raziel more than ever, but she nodded anyway and wrapped her arms around Dantess' neck, tightly so that she would not lose her grip.

The demons were already filing into the cave and Dantess and Meg knew they would have to fight their way past them if they were going to get into the open. Fighting with Mioko in his arms didn't diminish his prowess at all, if anything it helped him somewhat as he was more agile and careful than he would be normally. Meg occasionally jumped in to deflect a blow that was aimed at them, it was amazing how these demons had no concept of who they were fighting, they were just killing machines, some of them were even fighting each other in their confusion.

The attack had completely surprised them. Raziel's sword moved fluidly from one side to the other so fast it was becoming a blur. Behind him the Dumahim cavalry did the same following in perfect formation; not faltering for an instant. Their daring raid straight through the middle of the camp had thrown the demons into a confused panic which intensified when those who tried to run found themselves boxed in by the reinforcements. The vampires had utterly and completely surrounded them; there was no escape and the vampires weren't taking prisoners. Kain had ridden into the battle and had jumped from his horse just so he could kill more easier. Azrael had followed suit and dismounted behind the overlord and was fighting beside him; even though they were surrounded they clearly had the upper hand with superior skills and the advantage of the Rahabim army advancing behind them; they were just the first wave. Kain brought the Reaver down on two demons in one diagonal stroke killing them instantly, but as he did so he heard, "Yeah!" It was a random cry of elation and could have belonged to any one of the vampires who had thrown themselves into the battle and were enjoying every moment but Kain knew that tone; he had heard that cry too many times to not recognise it. He looked up and through the mass of moving bodies he saw her.

"Meg!" he shouted despite himself. Azrael instantly looked up and had his horse brought back in a second. She was but a few metres away her sword moving as if she were dancing and her smile showed that she was having the time of her life. Beside her there was a demon, he was laughing with her and killing just as many demons but as if that weren't strange enough Mioko was in his arms holding onto him for dear life. "Mioko!" Azrael thought and on the other side of the field Raziel heard his firstborn's thought and fought every instinct he had to break formation and ride back to see her.

Meg heard her name and she looked up. She could see Kain and Azrael fighting near her and she lightly steered Dantess towards them so they would eventually cut a path towards the other. In the distance they heard a roar and they knew that the Melchium had joined the fray. The demons were lessening now; there were far more vampires on the field in some cases there were a group of vampires cutting down a single demon and Meg and Kain grew ever closer.

They were fighting beside each other now but still they could not say a word, all of them breathless from the endless motions of the battle yet exhilarated at the same time. Then the demons all turned and flooded to the tent at the very centre of the camp; one that had been untouched by the battle as of yet and one that seemed to be glowing somewhat. "They're retreating!" Dantess shouted as the last demon left them to return, "They're going back!"

"Let them go!" Kain shouted and his command rang out around the hills. He and Azrael turned to Meg but she was at Dantess' side,

"You have to go with them!" she told him, lifting Mioko into her arms. He looked at her then back at the retreating demons, "You have to go back to your own world!"

He nodded almost reluctantly, "Farewell Lady Meg, Lady Mioko," he kissed both of their hands and seemed to be making a show of it, "Remember me well!" he bowed deeply, "Gogandantess!" he struck a pose, "the greatest swordsman of all demons!" Then he turned and joined the few demons who had survived to the portal back to their own world. Nobunaga hadn't even joined the battle himself when he realised that he was losing it.

Azrael and Kain glanced at each other unsure of what had just happened while Mioko waved after him shouting, "Bye Bye Dantess!" He waved once more over the back of his shoulder before he stepped into the tent and the last demon left Nosgoth.

TBC


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

"Mioko!" Dantess had just stepped into the tent when Raziel was at their side. He threw himself off his horse not bothering to tether it and snatched the girl from Meg's arms, collapsing to his knees with the girl wrapped tightly in his arms. The others stepped back politely to give him his moment.

"Hi daddy," she said childishly as he smothered her in his embrace. Kain smiled on the sight and looked away when he saw the beginnings of a tear forming in his son's eye; he didn't even know Raziel could cry. "Don't cry daddy," Mioko said, looking up at her father, "I gave them hell."

Raziel's smile stretched from one ear to the other as he beamed down upon her, "That's my girl," he said kissing her repeatedly on the forehead. Mioko giggled but revelled in the attention she was getting.

Kain turned to his own daughter and they too just smiled at each other before Kain did something that no one had ever seen before. He reached over and wrapped his arms around her, "Don't do that again," he whispered in her ear. She smiled into his shoulder and rested her head there glad to be back within the Empire once again. He held her like that for a while before he released her and resumed his role as Lord of Nosgoth barking orders for the vampires to start clearing up and burning the camp complete with bodies.

With Raziel lost in his own little world of Mioko and Kain deep in conversation with Rahab who looked thrilled at finding his sister and niece in one piece against the odds, Azrael and Meg were left alone for the moment. Meg was smiling oddly as she looked at the floor, Azrael just didn't know where to begin.

"I'm so glad you're ok," he said breathlessly, forgetting that she was no longer his love and just holding her, "If anything would have happened to you…I…I…" he couldn't even comprehend what would have happened if Meg had been killed at the outset.

Meg grinned up at him from between his arms, "I hear you led the scout party to find me and you cried?" For a moment he looked confused but then looking down at Mioko he realised how she knew all this. He didn't bother to deny it and nodded. She looked triumphant, "So you love me still?" she asked.

Again he didn't deny anything, "Meg I never stopped loving you, you know that."

"Ewww," Mioko grimaced as Raziel continued to smother her. He looked down at her with a raised eyebrow. "They're kissing again," she said nodding her head at the two firstborns. Raziel and Mioko rolled their eyes and rose together. Then with Mioko in Raziel's arms and Azrael's hand in Meg's they all took their rightful place in the restored world; following Kain home.

TBC


	11. Chapter 11

Epilogue

Kain and the brethren closed together to form an almost tight circle in the centre of the throne room, again. They stood almost shoulder to shoulder, the gaze of every vampire in the hall upon them as they stood as silent spectators. The music had stopped when Kain had risen from the throne and the brethren, instinctively knowing what this meant joined him as he stepped into the centre of the room.

All eyes were upon Kain as he raised his glass goblet, filled with the finest blood high into the air. His voice rang clearly through the hall, "To the empire…at last," he proclaimed his toast. The brethren raised their glasses and repeated the line followed by a mass of applause and cheering from the vampire filled hall.

Kain returned to his throne and watched the dancers take their places. Meg and Raziel joined him; Raziel standing on his right and Meg at his left. "No interruptions this time Raziel," Kain warned. Raziel merely smiled and watched his daughter dancing with Dumah who had beaten Rahab to her.

Kain chuckled to himself and reclined in the throne; now finally he was the Lord of Nosgoth.

End


End file.
